Scott to sign texting and driving ban

Florida is ready to join 38 other states in banning texting while driving.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced Friday that he will sign a bill - sponsored by a pair of Sarasota lawmakers - making it against the law to text while driving. Scott will sign the bill at a ceremony on Tuesday in Miami.

“As a father and a grandfather, texting while driving is something that concerns me when my loved ones are on the road,” Scott said in a statement to the media on Friday in announcing his plans to sign the bill.

The bill was sponsored in the Florida Senate by Venice Republican Nancy Detert and in the House by State Rep. Doug Holder, R-Osprey.

However to get the legislation passed, lawmakers watered down provisions of the bill. Most notably, police cannot pull someone over for texting while driving, it has to be a secondary offense. Also, the punishment for texting while driving is a nonmoving violation, with a fine of $30. The legislation does not go into effect until the fall.

Detert said despite the steps she had to take to make the bill acceptable her number one goal was accomplished.

“I wanted to be able to say that it is against the law in Florida to text while driving,” Detert said.

She said that simple phrase will help parents stress to their children to not text while driving.

Detert will not attend the ceremony. Holder said he plans to attend the signing ceremony.

According to the Florida Senate, these 38 states ban texting while driving for all drivers:

Jeremy Wallace

Jeremy Wallace has covered politics for more than 15 years.
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Last modified: May 24, 2013
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